RIP: The tech world is mourning the lack of Susan Wojcicki, a pivotal determine who performed a significant function in shaping Google into the behemoth it’s as we speak. Wojcicki handed away on the age of 56 after a two-year battle with lung most cancers.
Whereas not a family identify exterior of Silicon Valley circles – she hardly ever sought the highlight – Wojcicki’s affect is clear throughout lots of Google’s most vital merchandise and initiatives from the very starting. She was worker quantity 16 on the fledgling search firm, and her early advertising efforts, like getting web sites to embed Google’s search field, helped put it on the map.
Wojcicki wore many hats at Google over time. She led the event of the AdSense program, which allowed the corporate to dealer advertisements throughout tens of millions of websites. She championed main acquisitions like YouTube in 2006 and DoubleClick in 2007, each of which turbocharged Google’s advert enterprise.
After all, her most vital legacy is probably going YouTube itself. Wojcicki pushed onerous for Google to purchase the video website when it was nonetheless a small operation. After getting the inexperienced gentle, she took over as YouTube’s CEO in 2014, with a mission to “reinvent TV.”
Beneath her management, YouTube’s promoting income swelled into the billions. She expanded its enterprise mannequin with new subscription choices whereas grappling with the countless content material moderation challenges of working the web’s greatest video platform.
“She is as core to the historical past of Google as anybody, and it is onerous to think about the world with out her,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai, wrote on Twitter/X.
Unbelievably saddened by the lack of my pricey pal @SusanWojcicki after two years of dwelling with most cancers. She is as core to the historical past of Google as anybody, and it is onerous to think about the world with out her. She was an unimaginable particular person, chief and pal who had an amazing…
– Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) August 10, 2024
“My beloved spouse of 26 years and mom to our 5 kids left us as we speak,” her husband Dennis Troper wrote in a heartfelt Fb put up. “Susan was not simply my finest pal and companion in life, however a superb thoughts, a loving mom, and a pricey pal to many. Her influence on our household and the world was immeasurable.”
Wojcicki grew up on the Stanford campus earlier than learning historical past and literature at Harvard. She later earned MBAs from UC Santa Cruz and UCLA. Her involvement with Google started in 1998 when she famously rented out a part of her Menlo Park dwelling to Sergey Brin and Larry Web page as they have been simply beginning the corporate.
Regardless of her immense profession accomplishments, Wojcicki maintained a humble and grounded picture, and was recognized for elevating chickens and driving her children round in a minivan.
Wojcicki stepped down from her function as YouTube CEO in 2023 to give attention to her household and well being however remained an advisor to Alphabet. She is survived by her husband and 4 kids. Tragically, their oldest son, Marco, handed away earlier this 12 months at simply 19 years outdated.